


Lady Luck

by fembuck



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Femslash, First Time, Flirting, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-14
Updated: 2011-10-10
Packaged: 2017-10-24 11:31:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/262986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fembuck/pseuds/fembuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Myka comes across H.G. on an assignment, but even though she knows she should stay away from her, she just can’t.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place during Season 2, after “For the Team” but before “Vendetta”. 

Part One

  
Myka’s eyes drifted around the casino, her face scrunching up to protect her eyeballs from the gaudiness that surrounded her.The walls, the chairs, the floor and an alarming number of the people in the casino were draped in red velvet, and the sight of all of that crimson in conjunction with the binging and beeping and whirring of the slot machines surrounding her began to make Myka feel as if she was going insane.

Sighing irritably, Myka’s lips parted to ask Pete if he thought it was possible that the casino itself could be the artifact (because it was certainly having an effect on her), when something across the room caught her eyes.  What her eyes detected was nothing more than a flash of a pale profile before a sheet of dark hair was tossed, obscuring the woman’s features, but the flash arrested Myka and she found herself staring at the woman’s back as she glided across the floor.  

Myka knew that gait.  She knew that saunter; that swagger.  She could feel it in her bones.  She knew that woman, she was sure of it, but it wasn’t until the woman leaned against a red velvet pillar and looked in Myka’s direction that Myka was able to put a name to the vision before her, and that name was Helena Georgina Wells.

Myka’s eyes widened and she turned quickly towards Pete to see if he was seeing what she was seeing, but Pete was too busy coveting a bowl of peanuts that was resting unguarded on a nearby table have seen anything.

When Myka turned back to the pillar H.G. was still there, lounging and smiling, and as they regarded each other, H.G. lifted her hand and gave a little wave to Myka.  Despite herself, Myka found herself smiling, and H.G. winked at her before placing her index finger in front of her mouth to make the universal ‘ssh’ gesture.  She then tilted her head to the side, silently commanding Myka to follow her.

Myka paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell Pete that H.G. was there, but, as usual, she quickly dismissed the thought.  Pete was still sore at H.G. for playing him when they first met her at her house, and when Myka broached the subject of H.G. rejoining the Warehouse, Artie had shot the suggestion down so completely that Myka was still convinced Pete wouldn’t be willing to overlook it and work with the woman.

“I’m going to check over there,” Myka said cocking her thumb randomly to the side.

“What?” Pete asked distractedly as he cradled his chin in his hand, studying the bowl of peanuts intensely.

“I’m going to check over there,” Myka repeated once again jerking her thumb haphazardly.

“Okay,” Pete murmured paying next to no attention to her.  “There’s nobody sitting there and I haven’t seen anyone approach the table in minutes.  The peanuts are fair game in that case, right?  I mean, they’ve clearly been abandoned and are just going to go to waste so I should … rescue them.  It’s sensible, right?  _Won’t somebody please think of the peanuts_ ,” he declared in a high-pitched voice that Myka was sure was supposed to make him sound like a lady.

“Sure,” Myka said shrugging, not really caring about the peanuts at all.  “I’ll Farnsworth you if I find anything,” she said looking over her shoulder at Pete as she headed towards the spot where she had last seen H.G.

Pete waved his hand at her distractedly.  He was already looking around to see if the coast was clear for ‘Operation Steal the Peanuts-Eat the Peanuts’.

xxx

“Glad you could make it,” H.G. greeted with a smile when Myka fell in step beside her.

“Sorry I’m late.  I got stuck babysitting,” Myka murmured, her lips curving up in a sly smile as she glanced over at the woman beside her.

“Ah.  How is Pete?” H.G. asked playfully.

“He’s … well, Pete,” Myka said shaking her head though she couldn’t disguise the fondness in her voice as she spoke about her partner.

“Enough said,” H.G. drawled knowingly.  “Now, come along, darling,” she sing-songed a moment later, grinning as she grabbed Myka’s hand and drew her sharply to the left.  “No dawdling.”

xxx

When H.G. finally released Myka’s hand they had a perfect view of the casino’s highest stakes Craps table.Considering the amount of unhappy faces Myka had seen walking away from the table during her time in the casino she was surprised that it was so crowded, but the people gathered around the table made it easier for herself and H.G. to go unnoticed and un-overheard.

“Put these on,” H.G. whispered holding out a pair a wire-rimmed glasses to Myka.

“Why?” Myka asked, trying to ignore the slight tremor in her voice, and then the fact that the tremor turned into a shiver when H.G. smiled at her and leaned closer.

“I saw you squinting earlier and thought you might be a touch near-sighted,” the Brit drawled teasingly.  

Myka frowned and H.G. smiled even brighter.

“The nose may know, but eyes lie,” H.G. continued, her voice turning serious as she looked towards the Craps table.  “The glasses will help you see the truth.”

“Everything looks the same,” Myka whispered once the glasses were comfortably situated on her face.

“Just wait,” H.G. breathed out, so close that Myka could feel the gentle warmth of her breath caress her skin.  “All will reveal itself in time.  I promise.”

Myka nodded, not trusting her voice to remain steady with H.G. pressed so closely against her, and kept her eyes focused on the table.  She watched as bets were placed, as the player had a pretty blonde girl blow on the dice, and she watched as the man drew his hand back and tossed the dice onto the table.

‘Lucky,’ Myka thought with a touch of jealously as she saw the dice come to a stop on a pair of six’s.  She’d always had terrible luck at casinos and as a result generally begrudged people with the magic touch.  However, before she could wallow too much in memories of past defeats at the hands of Atlantic City casinos, Myka registered disappointed sounds coming from the winning table.

“What …”

“Take off the glasses and look at the table,” H.G. whispered.

Myka followed the other woman’s instructions and removed the glasses, her eyebrows drawing together in a confused scrunch as she saw a pair of losing number on the dice on the table.

“But he won,” Myka said, “I saw …”

“The truth, which is not what everyone else saw,” H.G. cut in gently.  “The eyes lie,” she said pointing to her own eyes and then glancing over at the table.  “The glasses show the truth,” the Brit she said tapping the wire frame of the glasses that were still clutched loosely in Myka’s hand.  “The dice …”

“Are the artifact,” Myka finished for her.

“Everyone thinks they can beat the odds, and usually one of them is right.  Eventually someone has to win … unless, of course, they’re playing with an artifact.”

Myka nodded grimly.  She handed H.G. back her glasses and then reached into the pocket of her blazer to pull out a pair of purple latex gloves.

“Do I get to be Agent Wells, again?” H.G asked happily when Myka handed her a pair of latex gloves as well.  “I think I acquitted myself quite admirably the last time I served under you.”

Myka smirked, and then drawled, “As long as you remember to do everything I say,” before she focused on the casino employee at the end of the table and began to stride purposefully towards him.

xxx

Myka’s announcing herself at the Craps table and her subsequent demand for the dice caused a bit of a commotion, enough of a commotion in fact that Pete wandered over – bowl of peanuts in hand.  

Myka started to mentally prepare herself for a confrontation with Pete when he arrived at the table, but when she turned her head to mouth an apology to H.G., she discovered that H.G. was no longer standing beside her – or anywhere in Myka’s field of vision.

A sigh of relief fell from Myka’s lips, but she also felt a pang of regret press upon her heart. She and H.G. worked so well together, and H.G. was so knowledgeable. It was stupid for them to have to sneak off into dark corners, consulting each other in secret when H.G. was such an asset.  As Myka stared at the empty space where H.G. had stood moments before, she wished that she and H.G. could work together in the open.  She wished that H.G. really could be agent Wells again.  She wished that she could see and talk to H.G. for more than a few minutes at a time.  

But, without an artifact, wishing amounted to a hill of beans, so Myka focused her attention on Pete as came to a stop beside her, and concentrated on what _was_ instead of what she wished.

“Hey, you found it!” Pete called out as he pushed his way through the security perimeter Myka had set up, gesturing to the neutralizing bag in Myka’s hand with the bowl before he popped another handful of peanuts into his mouth with his other hand.  “Hwdufwindit?”

“Yeah, I …. I just didn’t use my eyes,” Myka responded softly, a small smile touching her lips as she remembered H.G. whispering “the eyes lie” into her ear.

“What?” Pete asked, his brow scrunching up in confusion as he squinted at Myka.  “Warning: Does not compute, does not compute,” Pete continued speaking like a robot who was about ten seconds away from blowing some bolts and going on a killing spree.  “I don’t understand the words that are coming out of your mouth.  Make sense, Myka.  You sound like a crazy person.”

Myka frowned at him and then turned away to gaze down at the dice in her purple gloved hand.

“They didn’t have a reflection in the security dome mirror, okay,” Myka muttered, turning her back to the crowd as she quickly dropped the dice into the neutralizing bag so that Pete couldn’t grab them and test out the explanation she had just made up.

“Okay, okay,” Pete said popping another hand full of nuts into his mouth when the sparks stopped and Myka turned around again.  “Whatever.  But for the record, you were dropping some hard ‘Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra’ there.  Your words they made-y no sense.”

“Okay, Pete. I get it,” Myka said snapping her gloves off.  

So what she said really _hadn’t_ made sense without knowledge of her conversation with H.G., but Myka didn’t harp on everything Pete said that didn’t make sense – mostly because she didn’t have that kind of spare time, but still!

“I mean, if you didn’t use your eyes, how’d you _see_ that the dice had no reflection? Stunningly illogical … which, isn’t something that I can usually say about you.  Hey, are you feeling alright, Mykes?” he asked, staring at her with concern for a moment before popping a few more nuts into his mouth.

“Yeah, Pete,” Myka said smiling at him, “I’m fine.  I’m just tired. What’dya say we get out of here?”

“Sure thing, partner,” Pete said reaching for the car keys.  

“Thanks.”

“No probs, Myke-stand, I was outta nuts, anyway,” Pete replied unceremoniously dropping the bowl on the floor.

“Pete!” Myka exclaimed.

“What?” Pete asked sounding alarmed as he looked over at her innocently.  

“You can’t just …” Myka began, but partway through her sentence she just sighed and shook her head.  “Never mind,” she sighed.  “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay,” Pete agreed.  “But the difference between me and you, is that I’m going to leave in _style_ ,” he continued as he slipped his sunglasses out of his pocket and then put them on, even though they were still indoors and beyond the casino walls it was nighttime.

Myka stared at him for a moment in disbelief, and then a smile stretched across her lips.  Pete grinned at her and she couldn’t help but laugh at his antics as they started towards the exit.  However, before they left the main game room completely, Myka couldn’t help but turn and look back at the pillar where she had first spotted H.G., and her smile faltered a little as she found herself wishing that H.G. was walking out of the casino beside her.    

  
To be continued ...

  



	2. Chapter 2

Part Two

Water dripped down Myka's back as she hurriedly reached for her robe and draped it around her nude body. There was a relentless pounding at her hotel room door that could only be Pete hoping that he could talk her into watching some no doubt terrible 'best worst movie' that was airing on TV. Myka was tempted to ignore him – she was sure that he would get bored and leave sooner rather than later – but the constant knocking was seriously impairing her ability to enjoy her bubble bath, so Myka decided she would go to the door and deal with Pete so that she could enjoy the rest of her bath in peace.

"No," Myka said, finger already raised in a disapproving shake as she flung the door brusquely.

"I've not had time to even pose a question," H.G. commented, looking over at Myka with great big, sad puppy dog eyes that immediately tugged on Myka's heart-strings. Myka's lips parted to apologize, but before she could H.G. glanced down at the robe Myka was wearing and her lips curved up into a playful smile. "Fluffy."

"Yeah … hey," Myka breathed out, drawing her disapproving finger back into her body as snapped out of the stupor H.G.'s sudden appearance had sent her into. "Sorry, I wasn't … I thought you were Pete," Myka stammered in an attempt to excuse her rudeness upon opening the door.

She hadn't expected to see H.G. again for a while. It had been almost a month since she had last seen H.G., and when the woman had disappeared so skilfully at casino earlier Myka had assumed that it would be weeks before she saw H.G. again. She was pleased that she was wrong, however. Probably too pleased, but she choose not to think about that at the moment.

"Agent Bering," H.G. drawled, still smiling in that breathtaking way that made Myka's heart race and her head spin, "That might be the cruellest thing anyone has ever said to me."

H.G's eyes were shining as she spoke, and in the face of the Brits full on attack of charm, Myka found herself grinning over at the other woman.

"I think you'd better have a drink with me to prove we're still friends," H.G. went on a few seconds later, halting her words to draw her right hand and a bottle of scotch from behind her back. "We are … friends, aren't we?" she asked softly when Myka made no move to let her into the room.

"Of course," Myka said, smiling quickly before hastily stepping back to make room for H.G. to enter. "Sorry. I … I just wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. My manners just went completely out the … come in, please. Sorry about the robe," Myka rambled, blushing a little when H.G. smiled at her affectionately.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your bath," H.G breathed out, pausing beside Myka on her way through the door. "However, I do plan to make it up to you," she continued, looking up to meet Myka's eyes with an intimacy that momentarily took Myka's breath away.

But then H.G.'s hypnotizingly dark eyes were gone as the woman continued into the room, and Myka nearly gasped at the sudden loss of the connection between them. She began to wonder at how powerful her reactions to H.G. were, but before she could start to agonize and brood about her feelings, H.G. was grinning and speaking again, and Myka found herself swept up in H.G.'s magic once again.

"I should get some ice," Myka murmured as H.G. leaned attractively against the dresser.

"Let me," H.G. replied smiling. "I suspect they're actually really quite mundane, but I find myself quite fond of those machines, curiously noisily as they are. Besides, you're a little … underdressed for a sojourn into the world."

H.G.'s eyes traced the length of Myka's robe as she spoke and Myka blushed slightly as she realized that she really wasn't dressed to be roaming through hallways.

"I'll just …" Myka began.

"Slip into something a little less comfortable?" H.G. interjected, eyes dancing playfully as she looked over at Myka.

Myka smirked at that and H.G. smiled back and picked up the ice bucket before moving towards the door which she disappeared through a few moments later. Myka stared at the back of the door for a moment and as she did a smile slowly made its way across her lips. When she realized that she was grinning at a door, Myka shook her head and moved towards the closet, but as she thumbed through her clothes trying to decide what to wear she realized that she was still smiling, and that only made her smile even more.

xxx

"Thank you, by the way," Myka said as she took a seat at the small hotel table while H.G. busied herself at the dresser pouring them both a drink. "You took off so quickly I didn't get a chance to say it before."

"You're very welcome, darling," H.G. responded, smiling gently as she turned to face Myka, two drinks cradled in her hands. "I do apologize for my hasty exit, but considering Artie's less than warm feelings towards me, I thought it would be easier for both of us if Pete didn't lay eyes on me."

H.G. handed Myka one of the sweating glasses of scotch in her hands and Myka smiled her thanks before nervously glancing down into the amber liquid.

"Artie's …" Myka began before trailing off and sighing. "He just needs a bit of time." She brought the glass up to her lips and took a small sip. "As diabolical as he was, McPherson was his friend and … Artie hasn't gotten a chance to know you yet so when he thinks of you, he just … hurts – even though he wishes he didn't. If he worked with you, if he got to know you then he would see how …"

Myka trailed off, uncomfortable with the track her words were taking. Adjectives like beautiful, enchanting, charming, vulnerable, passionate and protective were running through her brain and Myka was worried that she wouldn't be able to stop them from tumbling past her lips, so she took a moment to compose her thoughts.

"He would see how valuable an asset you would be," she continued, finally settling on words that were truthful but not too revealing.

A smile spread across H.G.'s lips and her dark eyes danced mischievously as she gazed over at Myka.

"I do have some very lovely assets, don't I?" H.G. asked, glancing down at her long, lean, elegantly clothed body, a thrill running through her a moment later when she looked back over at Myka to find that Myka's eyes were scanning her 'assets' as well.

The ice in H.G.'s glass clinked against the side and the sound jarred Myka enough to make her realize that she was staring.

"Professionally speaking," Myka murmured stiffly a second later, blinking more rapidly than normal, drawing her gaze away from H.G.'s body and lowering them to consider her drink so that her traitorous eyes didn't reveal any more of her inner-longings.

"Of course," H.G. said, drawing her eyes down her body again before she reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small case which she placed on the table between them. "Perceptor Glasses," H.G. said proudly as she popped the case open, revealing the glasses she had allowed Myka to wear earlier. "Quite handy, don't you think?" H.G. continued, wearing one of the soft smiles that made Myka tingle all the way to her toes. "To what did you think I was referring?"

Myka's eyes widened and her cheeks flushed as she gaped at H.G.

"No, I … of course, that's what I meant. I wasn't … I didn't mean to imply that … if you thought …"

"Myka," H.G. interjected gently, stopping the other woman's fit of nervous rambling. "It's okay. I was only teasing. I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to perturb you."

"I'm not perturbed," Myka murmured, smiling at H.G.'s choice of words even as she focused her gaze on the amber liquid in the glass in her hands. "I just … you know," Myka continued, looking over at H.G. briefly before shrugging and looking down again.

"There are many things I know," H.G. began as Myka continued to gaze into her drink. "I know that Camel's milk does not curdle," she said, smiling winsomely at Myka when the other woman looked up and over at her with a quizzical expression. "I know that a hippopotamus can open its mouth wide enough to accommodate a child four feet in height," H.G. went on, drawing a smile from Myka with that one. "I know that America once issued a 5-cent bill … we had a good laugh about that one," H.G. confided, winking playfully. "And I know that the word 'Checkmate' comes from the Persian phrase 'Shah Mat,' meaning 'the king is dead'. However, my dear Myka, I'm afraid that 'what you were just' is one of the few things I don't know, though I am very curious to find out."

Myka wasn't quite sure how H.G. managed it considering how tense, nervous and uncomfortable she had been when H.G. started speaking, but by the time H.G. finished Myka was smiling and felt almost relaxed.

"I was just explaining because I didn't want you to think that I was ... perving on you or something," Myka said, meeting H.G.'s eyes for most of her answer though she looked away from H.G. at the end.

"Perving?" H.G. asked, arching a curious and amused eyebrow.

"Yes, as in … sexually objectifying you," Myka mumbled, that uncomfortable feeling that had momentarily lifted returning with a vengeance.

She normally found H.G.'s antiquated vocabulary charming but at the moment she cursed it. Explaining was bad enough, but having to explain her explanations was cruel and unusual.

"Sexually objectifying?" H.G. asked, giving Myka an apologetically helpless little shrug when the other woman looked over at her.

"It refers to a … uh, tendency among some – not me – to judge the value of another person based on …" Myka shifted uncomfortably in her chair and looked away from H.G., "how sexually appealing that person is."

"Ah," H.G. breathed out, finally enlightened, "I see."

Myka nodded stiffly.

"I am still a trifle uncertain about one thing however," H.G. said a moment later.

"Oh?" Myka asked looking up warily.

H.G. looked positively impish and that made Myka nervous.

"About what?"

"Were you perving on me?" H.G. inquired.

"No!" Myka responded immediately, too immediately to be convincing actually.

"Oh. So you don't find me sexually appealing?" H.G. asked in a more subdued tone than Myka had heard from her all evening.

"No, I mean … H.G.," Myka whined. She really, really, really didn't want to be having this conversation. "You're stunning, you know you're stunning. If you were born in 1966 instead of 1866 you would've been Homecoming Queen and captain of the cheerleading squad."

"Are those laudable achievements?" H.G. wondered out loud.

"A lot of people seem to think so," Myka muttered darkly, momentarily overtaken by a fit of teenage book-worm angst. "But the point is … I mean, of course, you're gorgeous but that's not why I like you."

"So you like me?" H.G. asked grinning smugly.

Myka's lips immediately parted to respond, but she stopped herself from speaking when she recognized the teasing glint in H.G.'s eyes.

"Not right at this moment I don't," Myka finally replied, though the small smile playing across her lips took any sting there might have been out of her words. "You're messing with me on purpose now, aren't you?"

"Perhaps a little bit," H.G. responded, smiling as she held her right thumb and index finger a few millimetres apart. "But it's not entirely my fault. You're exceedingly cute when you're flustered. I simply couldn't help myself."

Myka blushed at the compliment and H.G. laughed softly before murmuring, "You're so very fetching."

"I'm not …" Myka rolled her eyes and looked down into her lap self-consciously. "I'm not fetching," she continued, practically whispering the last word as if it was too ridiculous to say at regular volume.

"You are," H.G. replied immediately, her voice as serious as Myka had ever heard it. "Darling, you're as comely as you are intelligent, which is to say exceptionally so. Never think otherwise." H.G. gazed at Myka for a moment after that and she sighed softly and shook her head. "There are many amazing thing in this new world, but that a woman such as you could doubt her allure is one of the tragedies of this age."

H.G.'s words were unexpected and the emotion with which they were spoken surprised Myka but left a wave of warmth rolling through her body.

"Helena," Myka breathed out, too choked with emotion immediately follow up with more.

"I like the way my name sounds on your lips," H.G. whispered as Myka gazed at her softly. "That's the first time I've heard you say it. I don't mind H.G., of course. It's just that at times it seems so … impersonal," she continued, her lips curving up into a smile though this time her eyes remained serious. "I don't wish to be impersonal with you, Myka. The world is a very big, very lonely place these days and I would very much like to be Helena with you."

Myka took a shuddering breath in and closed her eyes briefly as she released it. Helena had told her once how strange this new world was to her, but she was so full of life and excitement most of the time, so curious about everything around her that Myka sometimes forgot how disconcerting, how alien the world must be for her. To dream up a future civilization was one thing, but to suddenly find yourself alone and trapped in one was something else altogether.

"Are you very lonely, Helena?" Myka asked, testing out H.G.'s name on her lips consciously for the first time.

Helena shrugged lightly and said, "I've become quite used to keeping my own company."

She kept her voice light as she responded and she almost managed to convey playfulness, but Helena couldn't keep all of the pain she was feeling hidden and Myka heard it in her voice. She heard the sadness and she saw the hauntingly vacant expression that momentarily came into Helena's eyes.

"Even so, I must admit that the idea of a friend is … exceptionally appealing, even if I must skulk in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to speak with you alone. The truth is, I've thought of you quite often since our last meeting. Have you thought of me too, or am I being a pest showing up like this?"

"You could never be a pest," Myka said softly, the vulnerability in Helena's tone making her feel more comfortable meeting the other woman's eyes and letting her see the vulnerability that lay within her. "I've thought of you, too." Myka looked down at her lap shyly as she tried to pull her thoughts together. "One of my favourite authors once said, 'The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.' I'd like to know you, Helena. I'd like for us to be friends."

Helena smiled at Myka and Myka smiled back, then Helena began to blink more rapidly than usual and dipped her head to fight the tears that suddenly formed in her eyes and threatened to rain down upon the cheap surface of the hotel table. When she felt in control of herself again, Helena offered Myka an embarrassed smile before she looked down and shifted her hand on the table, moving it tentatively until her fingers brushed against Myka's. When the tips of their fingers were touching, Helena looked up again, her eyes silently questioning and immediately Myka extended her fingers, running them over Helena's gently before she took the other woman's hand into her own and squeezed it tightly.

Helena breathed in sharply at the contact and her eyelashes fluttered shut.

It felt so good to be touched.

"Thank you," Helena whispered when her eyes opened again. "I … thank you," she simply repeated, not quite able to find the words to express to Myka how good it felt to feel the touch of another human after being bronzed for so long.

It was true that she had been out in the world for months, but as she had said earlier, the world was a big, lonely place and she'd had no meaningful contact – physical or otherwise – with anyone since her release. Myka's hand, holding hers so gently, was a revelation to her, it was a pool of water in the desert and Helena held onto it tightly and immersed herself in the feeling.

"Was that George Eliot, you quoted?" Helena asked, a happy smile touching her lips again, though she did not release Myka's hand nor loosen her hold.

"You recognized it?" Myka asked smiling brightly.

"Of course," Helena grinned. "I always wanted to meet her, but alas, even with my advanced age I was born too late."

"Pete would've asked who 'he' was and then wandered off to microwave some pizza pockets," Myka sighed though the affection she held for her partner was clear in her voice. "I'm so glad you read books," Myka continued squeezing Helena's hand.

"People don't read books now?" Helena asked sounding scandalized. "How on earth do they … learn?" She sounded bewildered and Myka wanted to hug her because she didn't understand how people that managed to function without books either.

"Google," Myka sighed.

"I despair," Helena moaned causing Myka to laugh which in turn brought a smile back to Helena's lips.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, holding hands until a great desire to kiss Myka surged up in Helena and she realized that she had best do something before she given into the urge.

"Your drink's gone to ruins," Helena commented, her eyes moving to take in the glass of scotch sitting in a ring of water on the table top.

Myka looked down and to the side, her eyes widening slightly when they landed on the glass as if she'd forgotten that she ever possessed it.

"So it has," she breathed out.

"I'll fix you another," Helena said, stroking the back of Myka's hand with her thumb before reluctantly pulling her hand away so that she could stand.

"Helena, no," Myka exclaimed, reaching out to grasp Helena's hand again, which Helena was more than willing to let her catch. "My father's a scotch drinker so I know that bottle you brought was expensive. The drinks fine, really. We shouldn't waste …"

"It's not a waste," Helena interjected. "Scotch is a fine drink, you are a fine lady and I shall fix you a properly neat drink. To do otherwise would offend my sensibilities."

"Well, we wouldn't want that," Myka replied, smiling and blushing slightly as Helena once again stroked the back of her hand with her thumb.

"You're blushing," Helena commented softly, smiling as she gazed at Myka affectionately.

"You're very ... gallant," Myka replied, blushing even more deeply though she did not try to hide her face this time. "According to Pete feminism killed chivalry, so such … courtly behaviour is, I guess, pleasantly unfamiliar."

"In that case, I shall have to endeavour to show you how civilized people treat a lady," Helena breathed out mischievously, gazing into Myka's eyes for a moment before she dipped her head down and kissed Myka's hand. "How was that?" Helena breathed out as she drew her lips away from Myka's skin.

"Very chivalrous," Myka replied softly. "Very …" Myka bit down on her bottom lip and sucked on it for a few moments to quash the moan that rose up in her throat at the memory of Helena's lips on her, "…educative," Myka finally breathed out.

"Educative," Helena laughed, caressing Myka's hand with her thumb one last time before she gently disentangled their hands. "I suppose that will do for now," she murmured softly.

Then Helena was in motion, reaching for both of their glasses before turning and sauntering back to the dresser where the bottle of scotch reposed.

Myka's lips curved up into a smile and she leaned back in her chair, appreciatively watching some of Helena's non-professional 'assets' as raven-haired beauty sashayed away.

To be continued …


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

A lazy smile rested on Myka's lips as she leaned back in her chair and watched Helena sway to the music playing from the cheap radio-alarm clock on her nightstand. The station Helena had stopped on was playing sultry 50s era music with swelling melodies, shining vocals, and sweeping waves of strings, horns, and percussion. The music was classic. It was timeless and elegant and the contented sigh that had fallen from Helena's lips when she came across the station – after having been inundated with the loud, arrhythmic, auto-tuned, lyrically inane popular music on the other stations – had forced Myka to take a sip of her drink to stop herself from laughing.

If they were not yet truly drunk by the time Helena declared that 'good drink, good company and good music' went together and then marched over to the 'radio machine' to generate some music, then they were well on their way to becoming drunk. Not that that stopped Myka from sliding her glass back over to Helena when the other woman lifted up the bottle and shook it tantalizingly from side to side.

"If I seem to boast more than is becoming," Helena drawled, winking at Myka as she leaned forward to fill her glass, "my excuse is that I brag for humanity rather than for myself," she continued, ending the pour with a flourish.

"That's obscure," Myka complained, pouting slightly as she looked over at Helena.

"Does that mean you don't know the answer?" Helena asked, her smile growing in smugness.

"No," Myka muttered petulantly.

The quote sounded familiar but she was having a hard time focusing and couldn't quite get the fragments floating through her mind to come together and form a whole.

"Ugh," Myka groaned a few seconds later. "Not fair. I'm drunk and you're being ... obscure," Myka complained, frowning slightly when she couldn't think of another word to describe Helena's choice of quotes.

"Henry David Thoreau is not obscure," Helena responded, her slowed speech testifying to her own state of intoxication.

"Thoreau," Myka moaned dropping her head into her hands. "I did know that one," she sighed. "Damn, scotch," she exclaimed turning to glare at the amber liquid in her glass before she shot Helena a smirk and picked it up, finishing off what was inside.

Helena laughed softly, and then, still smiling, she lifted the bottle again and shook it at Myka.

"I'm gonna hate you in the morning," Myka mumbled, but she pushed her glass across the table to Helena anyway.

"Never," Helena declared. "You'll hate solid foods and sunlight in the morning," she continued as she smiled over at Myka, "but you'll remember me quite fondly. After all, one doesn't swear off their friends after consuming too much whiskey. One swears off whiskey."

Myka shook her head as she reached across the table to retrieve her glass, but her lips were curved up in a smile.

"My turn," Myka said as she leaned back, settling more comfortably into her chair.

Helena simply smiled at her and nodded for her to continue.

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."

Helena blinked as the last word fell from Myka's lips, and then she blinked again and again before she drew in a sharp breath and leaned back in her chair, looking vaguely shell-shocked.

"I always loved bicycles," Helena murmured eventually, looking up to meet Myka's eyes before her lips twitched up again. "I must admit I'm surprised, that of all of the things to fall from my lips, that one survived the test of time."

"I don't know," Myka said softly, smiling with a gentle self-consciousness as she looked across at Helena. "I've always liked that quote. Every time I've heard it, it's reminded me that all a person needs to do to find beautiful and wondrous things in the world, is look," she breathed out, smiling gently. "It reminds me that even though there are bad things and bad apples out there, that there are also good things and good apples, and that they're worth fighting for and believing in," Myka continued, though her voice slowed and became a little self-conscious as Helena stared at her unblinkingly, her dark eyes holding steadfastly on Myka's as she spoke. "And I've learned something new about myself tonight. Apparently I'm a maudlin drunk," Myka murmured a few seconds later, looking down at the table top since it didn't seem as if Helena was going to look away from her.

"It's not maudlin," Helena breathed out roughly. "It's remarkable," she exhaled, shaking her head slightly before she offered Myka a shaky smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You've seen so much, and yet ..." Helena sighed softly. "I've seen many adults on bicycles since waking in this time," she began again, toying restlessly with her glass. "It's not as inspiring as it once was," she admitted sadly. "There are so many wonders in this world but no magic. Humanity has created so much and destroyed even more. We've pawned our spirituality for tiny telephones that let us do violence with cartoon birds. The air shimmers with filth. In places the ocean has turned black. Doves," she choked out, "fall from the heavens. People burn, and they shoot, and they rape. Disease runs rampant, poverty sweeps the globe, nature punishes us and still ..."

Helena's hand reached up to clasp the locket she always wore around her neck as she forced herself to stop and take a deep breath to regain her composure. Her voice had begun to shake and her body began to tremble in passionate despair, and she could see that she was beginning to alarm Myka.

"I had such belief in the future. I wanted to wake up in a better world," Helena sighed a few seconds later, her body no longer trembling though her voice was still unsteady. "Most of the time I don't think I have. So many of the things I've seen have grieved me ... but then I see you, and ... breath comes easier," Helena exhaled softly as she looked deeply into Myka eyes. "There are so many things to marvel at in this age, yet you are the only thing that has made my soul rejoice. I doubted it at times, but you've shown me that beauty lives," Helena whispered, smiling tremulously as she gazed at Myka, "that hope has not yet died."

Myka blinked rapidly, trying to contain the tears welling in her eyes as she gazed across the table at Helena, and instinctively her hand stretched out, reaching for Helena's hand which she squeezed. Helena released a soft, embarrassed laugh when Myka took hold of her hand, but she squeezed back and a single tear fell from the corner of her eye before she turned her head from Myka and allowed the dark curtain of her hair to obscure her face.

It was a risk, they hadn't shared much physical contact with each other – prolonged or otherwise – but Myka could not sit there and watch Helena cry without trying to soothe her in some way. So, with their hands still joined, Myka stood and moved to stand in front of Helena. The movement drew Helena's head up, and when their eyes met, Myka tugged on Helena's hand, urging her to stand. Helena stared at her for a moment, her enchantingly dark eyes scanning Myka's face contemplatively, and then she allowed Myka to help her to her feet and when Myka's arms wrapped securely around her, drawing her into a hug, Helena sighed and clung to Myka with all of the strength she had.

Myka wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but it was long enough for the character of the hug to change. As they stood pressed against each other, the desperation of the embrace eventually eased until they were more resting against each other than clutching at each other, and as Helena's body relaxed into her, Myka began to slowly run her hand up and down Helena's back, trailing her fingers up and down her spine soothingly as Helena buried her face in Myka's neck, basking in the scent of vanilla that still lingered on Myka's skin from her bath.

When Helena eventually pulled away from Myka's body so that she could see Myka's face, her skin was slightly flushed and she felt drunker than the three glasses of scotch had made her, and more peaceful than she had felt since Christina's death. She felt nearly human with Myka's body against hers. She felt nearly happy, and when Myka whispered her name, voice soft and concerned, Helena couldn't resist tilting her head up and pressing her lips against Myka's.

Myka gasped in surprise at the first touch of Helena's lips, but as soon as she comprehended that Helena was actually kissing her, her arm tightened around Helena's waist, drawing the other woman more firmly against her and her other hand lifted to the back of Helena's neck, holding her securely as Myka eagerly returned her kiss.

Before long, all that Myka was aware of was the taste of Helena's lips, and the feel of her hands as they started to roam anxiously over her body.

The kiss had started softly, sweetly, the contact coming as a bit of a surprise to both of them, but once their lips were joined, desire flared to life inside of them, and like women possessed they began to kiss fiercely as their hands wandered, searching beneath clothes for naked, heated skin.

Myka wasn't even aware that they had begun to move, that she had begun to lead Helena towards the bed until Helena was laughing as she fell back onto the mattress. As Myka looked down at her, her brain cleared for a moment and she realized that she had just essentially taken Helena to bed, and for a moment she wondered if they should stop. But then Helena smiled at her and whispered her name and Myka was in motion again, leaning down to kiss Helena as she slipped onto the mattress and covered Helena's body with her own.

As Myka draped her body over Helena's she was vaguely aware of the sound of something hitting the ground, but Helena was arching up to kiss her and her hand was drawing Myka's towards her breast and Myka lost all interest in anything that wasn't Helena Wells.

//"Hello?"//

Helena gasped as Myka's hand surged under her shirt and palmed her breast.

//"Hello?"//

"That feels so good," Helena sighed as Myka began to massage her breast. "So good," she whispered, eyes closing as she tilted her head back onto the pillow, exposing her throat to Myka who immediately shifted down to begin nipping and licking at the tantalizing expanse of flesh.

//"HELLO?"//

Helena's eyes opened as Myka sucked on her pulse point, and her hips twitched as she groaned out her pleasure, but even as her hand migrated to Myka's head and her fingers tangled in curly hair, her eyebrows drew together in consternation. She was certain that she had heard something, a voice, but Myka's hands and mouth were still busy on her body, and Helena nearly convinced herself that she was hearing things when...

//"Hello? Myka? Myka do you read? What's with all the heavy breathing? Are you watching a porno over there?"//

Myka lifted her head from Helena's lips and met Helena's eyes, her brows drawing together in confusion.

"Pete?" she called out with some trepidation and alarm.

"The last time I checked," Pete's disembodied voice replied.

"Oh my god!" Myka exclaimed, her eyes going wide as she looked down at Helena – who seemed to be trying to contain the urge to laugh – and the compromising position they were in. "Where are you?" Myka called out to Pete, looking around the room frantically, trying to determine where he was and how much he could have seen.

"In my room," Pete responded slowly, over enunciating every word as if he were talking to a small child or an animal.

"Myka," Helena whispered drawing Myka's wide-eyes back down to her. "I think he's on the Farnsworth. It must have opened when you hastily removed your bag from the bed."

"Oh," Myka gasped, suddenly realizing what that thump she had heard earlier was. "Oh," she gasped louder a second later.

She regarded Helena silently for a moment and then she pressed the index finger of her right hand to her lips to indicate that Helena should be quiet. Helena nodded, and Myka rolled off of her and off the side of the bed that Pete's voice was coming from.

"Sorry, it was an accident," Myka said a bit breathlessly, jostling the Farnsworth as she picked it up and then shifted on the floor so that the back of the Farnsworth was towards the bed, shielding Helena from view. "I didn't mean to call you."

"I bet you, didn't," Pete responded grinning at Myka in a way that made her feel naked. "Were you watching a porno over there, or were you making one?" Pete asked nodding his head up and down as he continued grinning at her.

"What? No! Shut up, Pete!" Myka exclaimed trying very hard to ignore the fact that Helena was also grinning at her from the bed.

"Why do you have sex hair?" Pete asked knowingly.

"I don't have sex hair!" Myka denied, though she couldn't help reaching up with her free hand to pat down her curls, which, to her despair, did seem suspiciously out of order.

"Why's your shirt all undone?" Pete asked. "Just giving the girls room to breathe or was someone Opheila-ing your boobies?"

Myka glanced down and had to bite back the urge to sigh as she realized that at some point Helena had started to undo her shirt, unbuttoning it to just below her bra. Once they made it to the bed, her movements had drawn the edges of the shirt open a bit, and Myka could see that a part of her bra was indeed showing.

"I was just getting ready for bed," Myka grumbled morosely knowing, even as she said it, that Pete wouldn't buy it for a second.

"Methinks you were already in bed," Pete smirked. "Will I meet him at breakfast, or is he just a toy to satisfy your tawdry sexual urges?"

"Ew, Pete! Don't ever talk about my sexual urges. As far as you're concerned I'm a nun. And for the record, I do not have a man in my room!"

"Swear?" Pete asked, "On Mr. Bear's life?"

Myka blushed profusely at the mention of her stuffed bear, and when Helena looked over at her and arched a curious dark eyebrow, Myka made a mental note to hit Pete repeatedly on the arm when she saw him in the morning.

"Yes, okay. I swear on Mr. Bear that there is no man in my room," Myka said, biting down on her lip to stop herself from smiling as Helena smiled at her knowingly from the bed.

"Okay," Pete said though he was still clearly suspicious. "But if you have a hickey tomorrow you have some 'splaining to do," he continued in his best Ricky Ricardo voice. "Sweet dreams," he finished with a wink, and with that the Farnsworth went dark.

Myka placed the Farnsworth down on the ground and then closed her eyes and sighed.

"I believe," Helena began, slipping off of the bed and then moving towards Myka, "that in today's vernacular, it would be appropriate to say that Pete just 'cock-blocked' you."

Myka's eyes opened and though she was still slightly miserable, an easy laugh escaped from her at Helena's words.

"Ace use of modern slang," Myka replied mischievously, grinning when Helena playfully pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at her.

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?" Helena sighed as her lips curved up into a gentle smile and she settled herself on the floor beside Myka so that they were leaning shoulder to shoulder against the wall.

"No," Myka replied unrepentantly, eyes shining with humour. "I ..." Myka paused and blushed again as she look down into her lap. "I thought it was cute," she admitted. "You were like a kid in a candy shop," she went on, tentatively looking over at Helena.

"Perhaps so, but rest assured," Helena breathed out, reaching out to take Myka's hand into her own. "You delight me more than any comically small, gravity defying squares of paper could ever hope to."

Myka rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"That really shouldn't be so sweet," she murmured, but she thought it was, and if the smile that touched Helena's lips was any indication, Helena knew she found it sweet too. "Should we talk about ..." Myka began, her eyes drifting towards the bed.

"Not tonight," Helena interjected softly, offering Myka a small smile.

She didn't think that Myka would try to deny the attraction between them, but her emotional state was a bit too precarious at that moment to risk having the type of conversation she had suffered through far too many times in her old life.

"It's late," Helena observed, glancing over at the digital alarm-clock. "I should let you get some rest," she whispered, though she made no attempt to release Myka's hand.

Helena's voice was reluctant and Myka could tell that she didn't really want to go. The truth was Myka didn't really want to let go of Helena yet either. They had been operating on alcohol and instinct before when they had fallen into bed, but they were thinking more clearly at the moment and Myka knew that they should talk before allowing things to go further – if things went further at all. But Helena was right, it was late, she was tired, and though she was thinking more clearly than she had been half an hour before, she was still drunk.

"You don't have to leave to do that," Myka said softly, staring out into the depths of the hotel room. "You could stay here. We could sleep. Just sleep," Myka added hastily before she finally turned to face Helena to gauge her reaction.

"I don't want to impose," Helena said.

"You wouldn't be," Myka breathed out. "I kind of like your company, you know," she murmured a moment later, blushing again.

"I did suspect," Helena replied as she looked down at her dishevelled clothing, making Myka blush even more, "but I didn't want to be presumptuous."

"When it comes to me wanting to spend time with you, you can be," Myka replied, embarrassed by the truth of her words, but wanting to say them anyway.

Helena had opened up to her and shared so much with her that night that it only seemed fair.

They regarded each other for a few seconds, and then with an aching slowness, Helena leaned forward until their lips met in a sweet, gentle kiss that made Myka sigh with contentment.

"I'd like to stay," Helena whispered against Myka's lips moments later, and Myka smiled brightly before leaning forward to capture her lips again.

xxx

When Myka awoke the next morning, she was alone in the bed, but the scent of Helena lingered in the air, and on the pillow beside her laid a single red-rose and a folded note. Myka glanced at the digital display on the alarm clock and a smile touched her lips as she wondered where Helena had managed to find a rose so early in the morning.

Myka's fingers trailed over the pristine whiteness of the pillows towards the flower, but as her fingers gently brushed against the stem, a tantalizing scent reached her nose and she sat up in the bed and scanned the room. Within seconds her eyes landed on the small table where she and Helena had sat the night before. Resting on the table was a tray with a small pot of tea, a glass of orange juice, some fresh fruit and a croissant, and Myka's hand automatically lifted to her chest and covered her heart.

Helena, she thought longingly.

She stared at the breakfast spread for a few more moments, basking in the warmth Helena's sweetness and consideration had sent coursing through her, but eventually she spurred herself into motion, and carefully gathering up her flower and Helena's note, she slipped off of the bed and made her way over to the table.

Taking a seat, Myka poured herself a cup of tea, and then she reached for Helena's note and opened it with shaking hands.

My darling Myka,

I hope that next time we meet the Fates will smile on us and allow us to break our fast together, but until then know that you are on my mind and in my heart always, and that I live in anticipation of the day when my lips may once again meet yours.

-Helena

P.S. The green fruit slices are quite delicious. I made some inquires and learned that they are commonly known as 'honeydew' melon. You may already be familiar with these succulent morsels, but if you are not I highly recommend you try them.

Myka's lips curved up into a smile as she read Helena's addendum, and a soft delighted laugh escaped from her lips before her expression turned gentle again and she reached out and slowly traced Helena's name with the tip of her finger.

Myka had never had much luck in love or casinos, but as she brought the rose Helena had given her up to her nose and breathed in, Myka thought that perhaps Lady Luck had finally smiled upon her.

 

The End


End file.
